A conventional vehicle drive control apparatus used in a hybrid vehicle, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-333305 (JP '305), also U.S. Pat. No. 6,314,347. The apparatus of JP '305 is used for planning a charge-discharge schedule that uses a motor for travel in a low drive-efficiency area, such as frequently-congested roads where use of an internal-combustion engine would be inefficient. Also, the apparatus charges electricity to a battery during a travel of the vehicle in a section where the vehicle is powered by the internal-combustion engine, in a manner that supplements the amount of electricity consumed by the travel of the vehicle in the low drive-efficiency section. The apparatus is used for performing drive control of the engine and the motor according to such charge-discharge schedule for travel of the vehicle on a route between a start point and a destination.
The apparatus of JP '305 requires a user of the vehicle to enter an instruction of destination setting and/or route search, in order to determine a route toward the destination. Thereby making the user feel bothered and/or inconvenienced.
In addition, though the apparatus of JP '305 is configured to have a charge-discharge schedule planned for an entire route between the start point and the destination, an actual travel of the vehicle may not necessarily allow drive control according to such schedule, due to a level of driver's proficiency and/or a traffic flow surrounding the vehicle. When such an un-planned drive control that diverts from the planned schedule is frequently performed, energy consumption may be increased inadvertently in comparison to the travel according to the planned schedule.